Cockroach infestations are the worst. Cockroaches are not just disgusting creatures; they also carry disease-causing bacteria. If you think your home is suffering from a cockroach infestation, here are the signs to look out for.
Why you have cockroaches at home
First, why do you think you have cockroaches at home? Here are the top reasons why cockroaches choose to nest in your property:
- Food and water are easily accessible. You don’t store your food properly. You have drainage or piping problems. And you don’t dispose of your garbage properly. All these habits make food and water very accessible across your property. Easy access to these things makes your property susceptible to cockroach infestations.
- You have too much junk and filth. Cockroaches enjoy dark and undisturbed places, so you can see them mostly in attics, basements, and kitchen cabinets. But with enough clutter, they can also thrive on junk and filth. Old magazines and newspapers are particularly notorious for giving shelter to these pests.
- You have hitchhiking cockroaches. Sometimes, it’s not even about the cleanliness of your home. If you have just bought second-hand furniture with cockroaches, or your neighbor is suffering from an infestation, some hitchhiking cockroaches can start an infestation in your clean home.
Signs of a cockroach infestation
1. Seeing live (or dead) cockroaches
One of the strongest signs of a cockroach infestation is seeing live cockroaches. These pests are nocturnal creatures, so you are more likely to see them at night-time. But your infestation may be severe if you see them even during the day. It may mean that they are overcrowded and are so short on resources that they risk going out during the day just to look for food and water.
Seeing dead cockroaches around your property is not a good sign either, especially if your property has not undergone pest control recently and there is really no reason to find random cockroach carcasses.
2. Finding cockroach droppings
Droppings are always a good sign of a pest infestation, cockroach or otherwise. You will usually see the droppings on areas with high cockroach activity, like inside cabinets, on top of shelves, and moist areas like under refrigerators and sinks.
The physical characteristics of cockroach droppings may differ depending on the type of cockroach you have on your property. But usually, cockroach droppings look like dark and oval pellets like coffee grounds and pepper. The more droppings you see, the more severe the infestation may be.
3. Spotting cockroach eggs
If you see dark elongated capsules around your property, you may have a cockroach infestation in your hands. These are oothecae that contain multiple eggs inside. One ootheca can hatch up to 30 nymphs. So, you have to take cockroach eggs seriously. They can quickly make your cockroach problem much more troublesome.
Like cockroach droppings, cockroach eggs may look different depending on the type of cockroach you have on your property and you will see them on areas with high cockroach activity. You will also see them glued on hard-to-reach areas. Don’t be surprised to see hatched oothecae too.
4. Smelling the pungent odor of cockroaches
Another thing you should look out for in your property is a pungent odor. This pungent odor has a lot of causes, and all of them are from cockroaches. Live cockroaches have a particular odor. One cockroach is enough for you to be able to smell the odor, and the odor can only get worse the more cockroaches produce it. Dead cockroaches also produce oleic acid and cockroach droppings produce pheromones.
All these odors can bomb your property with a pungent smell. The smell becomes worse as the cockroach infestation becomes more severe. The smell also attracts more cockroaches in the vicinity.
5. Noticing smear marks on the walls
Cockroaches leave brown smear marks, especially on the edge where your floors and walls meet. These smear marks are particularly obvious on areas with moisture, like bathrooms and kitchens.
Cockroaches enjoy filth and grime and they stay in places where they can find them. Don’t be surprised if cockroaches are covered in them and end up smearing them all over your walls. They can smear filth and grime both during crawling and resting.
Places to look for signs of a cockroach infestation
Bathroom and kitchen
Cockroaches are in your property for food, water, and shelter And they can find these three things in your bathroom and kitchen. Your kitchen obviously has food and water products. It also has a lot of nooks and crannies where they can hide and nest. Your bathroom is a little less obvious. Most people don’t know that cockroaches actually eat hair and other organic materials. The moisture in your bathroom is enough to sustain the pests too.
Cabinets
Cockroaches like to stay in dark and undisturbed areas. This is the reason why you usually see them on attics, basements, and other parts of the house homeowners are not particularly spending a lot of time in. Cabinets fit the criteria too, especially your kitchen cabinets full of food products. If your cabinets have cracks and crevices that make them more accessible, they are even more attractive to these pests.
Drains
Check the entire piping system of your home and look for cracks, crevices, and holes where cockroaches can get through and thrive. Your piping system is a great source of water, and that makes it attractive to a variety of pests, not just cockroaches.
Laundry areas
Your laundry area is another spot in your home that is full of moisture. As such, it’s a very attractive spot for cockroaches. Look at the moist areas like under your washing machine or the drainage. Look at warm areas too, like near the motors of your washer and dryer.
Cockroaches can be very dangerous
Cockroaches are on top of a lot of people’s gross list. And they are not just gross. They are also dangerous because they spread diseases. But your home doesn’t have to suffer from a cockroach infestation. Keep your home clean and make it unattractive to cockroaches by storing food and water properly and limiting passageways.
Prevention is always better than cure. But if you do suspect that your home is suffering from a cockroach infestation, look for the signs above.